In a further sign that Israel is repulsing the COVID-19 pandemic, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein stated on Thursday that from Sunday onwards, Israelis will no longer be required to wear masks while outside.
In a statement as the country’s Independence Day celebrations came to an end, Edelstein said he had instructed Prime Minister Chezy Levy to sign a resolution ending health regulation with effect from Sunday , after consultation with professionals of the ministry.
Masks will still be needed in enclosed public spaces.
Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by Email and Never Miss Our Top Stories Free Sign Up
“The masks are meant to protect us from the coronavirus,” Edelstein said. “After professionals decided it was no longer needed in open spaces, I decided to pick it up.”
He attributed the successful vaccination campaign of Israel, but called for constant vigilance.
Health workers have been saying for weeks that the masquerade outside will soon end, but reaching the milestone will undoubtedly be a gripping moment for many Israelis, who have become accustomed to seeing more than each other’s eyes over the past year. on the street.
Jerusalem people with face masks walk downtown on February 7, 2021, while Israel closes for the third time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
Earlier this month, Levy was still skeptical and warned of lifting the mandate, arguing that the use of masks outdoors was effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19.
According to media reports in recent weeks, the police have in any case instructed them to stop enforcing the mandate for outdoor masks, focusing instead on enforcing those who violate the quarantine rules.
After a severe third wave of the pandemic, Israel’s situation has improved rapidly in recent months as it has the fastest per capita vaccination in the world. More than half of the population was fully vaccinated against the virus, and the results showed, with daily new cases and severe cases dropping to levels not seen for long months.
As the caseload dropped, Israel significantly reversed coronavirus restrictions by opening businesses, meeting rooms and other activities.
A top expert on the pandemic said on Sunday that Israel may have reached some kind of herd immunity and that they could safely alleviate further restrictions. Eran Segal, a computer biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, told Channel 12 that even the reopening of parts of the economy and gatherings during the Purim and Easter holidays, with most Israelis vaccinated, did not contribute to it. .
A young Israeli receives a COVID-19 vaccine injection at a Clalit vaccination center in Holon, February 4, 2021. (Chen Leopold / Flash90)
Cabinet ministers also voted this week to reopen Israeli schools from Sunday, ending the requirement that some grades still have to teach in smaller class sizes. Children in grades 5-9 were the only remaining students needed to study in socially distant “capsules” or pods.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Health released on Thursday night, 196 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded and another 91 since midnight, with 836,706 total infections confirmed since the pandemic began.
The death toll stood at 6,314.
There were 2,945 active cases, including 209 patients in serious condition, of whom 126 were on ventilators.
Of the 55,470 tests conducted on Wednesday, 0.4% returned positive.
The ministry also said 5,338,967 Israelis had received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine and 4,961,238 had received two shots.
